Clermont to Orlando Lynx route ends

CLERMONT, Fla. - Some Lake County bus riders who depended on Lynx Express bus service to get to work now have to find an alternative.

The Link 204 route ran from Clermont to the Lynx Central Station in downtown Orlando, but Friday was the last ride after Lake County officials decided to nix funding.

In the meantime, Lynx officials told Channel 9 they've purchased a number of Chevrolet Equinoxes so they can start a van pool service on Monday.

In an attempt to bring the service back, Lynx is working on an agreement with Lake County to double the fare to $140 <$1.40?> and cut the number of daily trips in half to four. Plus, Lake County would need to contribute $40,000 to $50,000.

But Channel 9 learned such a proposal could take months to approve because it requires public hearings and board approval, procedures and red tape Lynx and Lake County can't cut through.

So far, Lynx only has one van for the van pool program, but it's working to get another. Officials said they'll give affected passengers priority.

If Lynx and Lake County can come up with a deal to put Link 204 back on the road, the earliest it could be back in service would be spring of next year.